GREENS
GREENS
GREENS
&
&
&
BLUES
BLUES
BLUES
BUILDING
BUILDING
BUILDING
SUSTAINBLE GUITARS
SUSTAINBLE GUITARS
SUSTAINBLE GUITARS
FRANK XU
THIS BLOGPOST IS DEDICATED TO THE ELP
2022 FALL CLASS AND THE GUITAR LEGEND
EDDIE VAN HALEN UPON HIS 2ND
ANNIVERSARY OF DECEASE.
Had you ever heard of the song Greens and Blues
by Pixies, you might recognize half of the title. The
’90s permanent wave and alternative rock played
an indispensable role in cultivating me to a rock
fan as well as a guitar aficionado. For many
people, the modern art of guitar is embedded in
the figure of Jimi Hendrix, who plays his iconic wild
BLUES on a 1964 Fender Strat with a ROSEWOOD
neck. Yet the art of guitar, as well as its material,
evolved over the past decades and became more
and more GREEN in recent years. My blogpost is
going to shed a light on the measures, policies, and
laws on sustainable guitar production. Given the
complexity of guitar composition, including its
head, neck, body, bridge, etc., made from
different materials, this article will only focus on
the main material – tone woods – which serves
for bodies and necks (head and neck are usually
carved as a whole, and some guitars like
Strandberg are headless.).
Introduction
1
https://www.guitarl
obby.com/jimi-
hendrix-guitars-
and-gear/t
Jimi Hendrix
Rosewood/
Maple
Neck
https://www.amazon.
com/Guitar-Neck-
Canada-Maple-
Fret/dp/B08BBKVN1
W
Neck
Rosewood
As mentioned previously, the neck of the
1964 Fender Strat was made of rosewood,
so were those of many other vintage
guitars. Martin Taylor were the first one to
use rosewood for acoustic guitars and
follows Gibson, which consumed ¾ of the
rosewood in the guitar industry (Black, 2013).
A lot of guitarists are obsessed with the
vintage rosewood fingerboards (some necks
are combinations of rosewood fingerboards
and maple bottoms.) for its stability, tone,
and the smooth feel on the surface for
shredding (generally refers to fast, virtuoso
playing). However, their obsession might
have to end. From 2005 to 2015, it is
estimated that in total 9874 tons of
rosewood had been illegally traded.
Excessive rosewood logging has a lot of
negative environmental impacts, including
reduction in biodiversity, increase in
likelihood of forest fires, and degrading soil
fertility (Barrett et al., 2010). To prevent the
extinction of rosewoods and reduce the
negative impact of logging, CITES
(Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species) decided to ban
rosewood trading on 2nd January, 2017. As
a result, musicians were not allowed to
travel with rosewood guitars when crossing
borders on tour, let alone trading
instruments made of rosewood.
2
Although the ban on rosewood instruments is moving to sustainability, it’s hard to
intuitively consider it fair to ban an instrument made of rosewood less 10 kilograms.
The main contributor of rosewood being endangered is the furniture industry that has
a great market in China. According to Annah Lake Zhu, a scholar at Harvard University,
the Chinese furniture market, with an estimated value of 26 billions of USD, depletes
the most rosewood resources for making antique furniture following a cultural
renaissance. Hence, as the majority expected, the ban on rosewood-made instruments
was lifted in August, 2019. The new policy excluded all the other species except for the
Brazilian rosewood (Dalbergia nigra) for musicians. In light of this measure, the APHIS
(Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture,
being in charge of species protected under either the U.S. Endangered Species Act
(rosewoods are not under its protection, since they’re exotic) or CITES, regulates the
entry of instruments made of Brazilian rosewoods. The APHIS’s regulation on rosewood
is based on the Lacey Act, which combats unlawful trafficking of wild faunas and floras.
To trade rosewood-made instruments, an individual has to apply for a valid Protected
Plant Permit by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, according to part 335, Code of
Federal Regulations. In spite of the regulations, some companies are still involved in
illegal wood trading. In 2011, Gibson were sued to trade Brazilian rosewood as well as
other species like Madagscar ebony and Mahogany.
In addition to the American regulations, it is also worth paying attention to their
counterparts in Europe and Asia, where mainstream guitar companies like Höfner
(Germany) and Ibanez (from Japan, having a lot of factories in China.) locates. The EU
was relatively tolerant to rosewood-made instruments. Right after the ban in 2017, the
EU didn’t prohibit individuals and households to carry a rosewood-made instrument
below 10 kilograms in their luggage. For music ensembles, as long as each member
doesn’t carry such an instrument over 10 kilograms, they will be permitted to travel
with the instruments. Besides, the EU also exempted non-commercial trade of
rosewood-made instrument, and non-commercial trade includes personal use,
performances, competitions, repairments, and loans. In Asia, Myanmar and peninsular
Malaysia, where some rosewood species grows, had banned rosewood logging in 2014,
while China, although protected local species with legislations, doesn’t impose strict,
clear measures on rosewood trading: relatable departments (well, it’s a common,
mysterious term in Chinese) like National Department of Forestry and Grasslands and
CITES MA in China only serves to supervise illegal trafficking and logging of national
protected species (Zhang & Chen, 2022). However, under the ethos of ecological
civilization, China bears great potential in the conservation of rosewood in the near
future. But so far, companies like Ibanez could still import and export rosewood
(guitars) by their Chinese factories.
3
Pau Ferro
Since the ban on rosewood in 2017, Fender has been switching to Pau
Ferro woods for guitar fingerboards. Guitars with Pau Ferro
fingerboards are most produced in Fender’s Mexican factories, which
focuses on building non-custom and non-vintage series. The most
common player series, which I play, are made of Pau Ferro woods as well.
Personally, I find it a grotesque substitution for rosewood, just as Fender
alleged, ‘snappy attack, creating a crisp, clear sound.’ And Pau Ferro is
not a novelty following the ban in 2017. Stevie Ray Vaughan led the
second wave of southern blues over his Pau-Ferro-made signature
guitar. Fortunately but unfortunately, Pau Ferro is not listed by CITES
and so far there’s no restrictions on Pau Ferro. Yet we might not have to
worry about Pau Ferro woods being endangered since they are mainly
just used for guitars and basses while doesn’t enjoy a good fame in the
furniture industry.
Maple
Maple necks are the most compared with rosewood necks. Some refers to
an entire neck made of maple while some are the back that holds the
fingerboard made of another material. A lot of high-end guitars are made of
maple as well as rosewood. Maple wood is also considered as a sustainable
choice. Here we interpret sustainability in terms of ecology and economy, in
another word, equality ---- which dictates the value of an instrument. In
addition to its rich sound and durance, maple woods are eminent for its
texture. The smooth feel made it the most adored back of the neck, where
guitarists anchor their palms and slide over the neck. Such a benefit could be
crucial for some virtuoso shredders. When it comes to ecology, maple woods
are pretty promising as well. Maple woods grows at a staggering rate of
1cubic meter/3.31s. The growth of American hard maple exceeds its harvest,
resulting in a net increase of 8.8 M cubic meters per year. The increase of its
population could also facilitate carbon sequestration. Last but not the least,
American hard maple is a native species distributed mainly in New England, so
it saves the carbon footprints on transport. The figure below demonstrates
other sustainable factors of maple woods. However, certain species of
maple are concerned. In 2015, the Lacey Act coped with the illegal harvesting
of bigleaf maple in Gifford Pinchot Nation Forest. Rather, maple woods
generally still bears potential as more and more tropical woods are under
threats.
4
SRV
https://ultimatecla
ssicrock.com/stevi
e-ray-vaughan-
dies/
Body
The discussion on body would be modest compare to the previous
texts, since we’ve already reviewed the most controversial rosewood.
Mahogany
Mahogany woods are widely used for guitar bodies. Like many other
endangered wood species listed by CITES, Mahogany is one of the tropical
woods that are distributed in central America, Bolivia, and Brazil. Since I’ve
never played a Mahogany-made guitar, the words below are totally taken
from online guitar commentaries: Mahogany is better at creating
resonance and warm tones. That’s the major reason why it’s adored by a
lot of players for acoustic tracks. Mahogany was listed by CITES very
early. Mexican Mahogany was listed in 1975, Cuban and Honduran being
listed in 1992 and 1995. In November 2003, the international community
agreed on regulations for bigleaf Mahogany businesses. Following this
measure, the U.S. ESA (Endangered Species Act) prohibited trade and
possess on Mahogany. Unfortunately, as mentioned before, Gibson still
possessed illegal Mahogany woods.
5
John Frusciante
holding a Martin 015
made of Mahogany
while recording Road
Trippin'
https://www.groundguitar.com/jo
hn-frusciante-gear/john-
frusciantes-1940s-martin-0-15/
Ash & Alder
Ash and Alder are common candidates for
electric guitar bodies. Ash is considered to
be good at taking finish (the colored layer
on the body). The swamp Ash, distributed in
southern U.S., has good resonance for its
softness and porosity. Compared to Ash,
Alder is a bit worse but cheaper and more
available. Its habitats range from Tropic of
Cancer to polar areas. Currently, only Ash
(Fraxinus Mandshurica, a specie from
Russia) is listed by CITES and subsequently
banned by the EU. Although the American
market is not affected, Fender has recently
been replacing Ash – its DNA – to Alder. In
2019, Fender received the worst swamp
Ash harvesting due to the flood in the
Mississippi River. It is suggested that
climate change might threat swamp Ash
species by erratic precipitations.
Alder
Ash
https://www.thegearpage.net/board/i
ndex.php?threads/poll-telecaster-
body-wood-alder-ash-or-it-doesnt-
matter.2203113/page-2
6
Discussion and Vision
The current regulations on tonewoods are acceptably sufficient. However, it
is never wrong to play more green notes. Since the swamp Ash woods are
under the threat of climate change, other than adaptation measures, it is
also important to set about regulations on swamp Ash. Meanwhile, more
strict market regulations and punishment should be imposed to cope with
illegal transactions as Gibson did. It’s interesting to mention that Gibson is
actually in bankruptcy. It might be able to afford the responsibilities when it
comes to taxation and fine. Therefore, we could consider adding VAT taxes
on guitars made of illegal obtained woods. Moreover, why don’t we consider
subsidy-wise solutions? Take Gibson as an example, it struggles with its
deficits by trying every effort to maintain its DNA: that’s what incurs the
most kicks than kudos for Gibson from modern players. Gibson barely
innovated on their guitars over the years, and, personally, I do hate the
inaccessible 15th + frets and I had no complex for the conventional tone
woods. Subsidies to Gibson might help it get out of the vicious cycle, start
innovation, and then phase out the illegally obtained woods. The same could
work for other companies struggling, since the guitar market has been more
and more monopolized: for instance, do you, a non-aficionado of guitars, think
Jackson and Charvel are independent companies? No, both of them are
bought by Fender to develop tributes for metal players. In this sense,
enforcing big companies to shoulder more sustainable responsibility could be
no more reasonable. What’s more, subsidies could even be provided to civil
groups. In 2016, Tom Bedell initiated the Musicians for Forests campaign to
protect the over-logged Sitka Spruce in Alaska. Such spontaneous campaigns
are worth funding.
In terms of physically building a guitar, more new ‘crazy species’ could be
taken into account. Bamboo is one of the most fasting growing wood in the
world and it’s easy to manage. Used for flutes and Xiao (a Chinese instrument,
a vertical flute), bamboo has a rich tone and can last long, too. Meanwhile,
some players would also argue that what defines the tone is not the wood
but the finish. For electric guitar players, nowdays, wood have been less and
less important since advanced digital pedals/programming are expanding the
tonal ranges of guitar sound. In the end, as someone who practices guitar
every day, let me tell you, what dictates the tone is neither the wood, pedals,
pickups, nor anything else. It’s your techniques. So, choose sustainable
materials, keep shredding, and play blues & greens.
7
References
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